Riot Near Fairfield, IA, Following Removal from Pandit from Maharishi Vedic University

(Pandit Campus)

If you travel to Jefferson County, IA, you will discover a small community called Maharishi Vedic City. The city became incorporated in 2001. The community's stated goals are "protect, nourish, and satisfy everyone, upholding the different social, cultural, and religious traditions while maintaining the integrity and progress of the city as a whole." The community is known for its unique architecture and belief system. They're big into organic farming and they have their own unique currency -- though you can still use dollars and credit cards when visiting the community. But the community is probably best known for its Maharishi Vedic University, which promotes consciousness-based education that includes the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique. The community boasts a population of just over 250 residents. However, that number does not include the roughly 1,000 pandits from India who live on campus on the edge of the community.

Maharishi Vedic City is in the news following a riot last night on the campus of Maharishi Vedic University. I have read several news stories about the riot, but there are still big question marks all over this story. This is what I know:

Jefferson County sheriff's deputies were called to the campus yesterday to remover one of the pandits from the campus. Reportedly, there were unspecified disciplinary issues surrounding this pandit. Before he could be removed from campus, approximately 60-70 other pandits became angered and began throwing rocks at campus security and sheriff deputies. The one pandit was removed from campus by the sheriff's deputies. However, the other pandits continued to riot, knocking down a gate and then blocking one of the streets.

Law enforcement tried redirecting the pandits back onto campus unsuccessfully. That prompted the pandits to surround the patrol vehicles and begin throwing rocks again at law enforcement officials. They also rocked the vehicle, kicked out the lights, and tried breaking the mirrors.

This behavior continued and eventually the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office was aided by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Reserve, the Fairfield Police Department, the Iowa State Patrol, the Iowa Department of Transportation, the Iowa DNR, the Wapello County Sheriff's Office, and the Fairfield Fire Department.

The rioters were eventually returned to campus. No arrests are pending due to an inability to identify anyone who specifically threw any of the rocks.

I want to know what this pandit was doing that got him booted from campus. He was obviously significant enough that a sizable portion of the campus population rose up in outcry following his removal.

I will post more as I learn more.